Ulquiorra Cifer
is the cuarta (4th) Espada in Aizen's army of Arrancar, and is one of the series' central antagonists. He is responsible for much of the conflict currently taking place in the show's continuity, and is currently fighting Ichigo once more, as he is one of Ichigo's principal arrancar rivals; the other differentially being Grimmjow Jeagerjaques. In the most recent character popularity poll, he ranked 10th. Appearance Ulquiorra is a relatively short and slender, yet fairly muscular, male Espada with a melancholic appearance, short, messy black hair, silver skin, and green eyes with slit pupils. He has teal lines that descend from his eyes, making it appear as if he is crying. His facial expression rarely changes, and he is near-constantly frowning. He also appears to be the youngest member of the Espada, next to Szayel Aporro Granz, Grimmjow, Neliel, and Cirucci. He wears typical Arrancar clothes: a white jacket, black sash, and a white hakama. They are somewhat similar to what Ichigo's inner hollow wears. However, his jacket seems to have longer coattails than others. Like most other Arrancar, he possesses remnants of his former life as a Hollow in his appearance. His Hollow hole has moved; it is at the base of his throat as opposed to his chest. The remainder of his hollow mask lies on top of his head, forming a broken helmet, much like that of the example silhouette of a Vasto Lorde. He is the fourth-ranked Espada, signified by the tattoo on the left side of his chest. It should also be noted that Ulquiorra's hollow hole seems to have moved since his first appearance, as it is now located somewhere near his sternum. This movement occurs in both the manga and anime. Personality Ulquiorra is a very cold, callous, dispassionate figure, and is rather aloof, brooding, and indifferent, willing to harm both his comrades and enemies should they ever get in his way. He refers to anyone he does not find interesting as "trash" and treats them as expendable. Despite this, he is not particularly violent, unlike most of his Espada comrades, and will only fight when provoked or ordered to by Aizen. Ulquiorra has a strange habit of killing victims he is particularly interested in by stabbing them with his bare hand in the same location as his hollow hole. Whether he is consciously aware of this habit or not is unknown. During a speech to Orihime he claims he cannot believe in human emotions, which he refures to as the "heart", reasoning that if his eye cannot see them, then they do not exist. These words, and much of Ulquiorra's overall behavior, can lead one to assume that he is a firm believer in the concept of materialism. It would appear that as a result of his isolated life as a Hollow, Ulquiorra does not understand feelings and emotions as well as empathetic characters like Orihime tend to. His overall behavior towards his allies and enemies, as well as his apparently self-inflicted habit of stabbing people in the chest, may symbolize that fact. His cold demeaner allows him to stay completely calm and in control in most situations and he is not easy suprised or caught off guard. However he does not seem to comprehend the human trait of fighting against all odds. During his latest battle with Ichigo he completely overwhelms the shinigami after releasing his zanpakutou, yet Ichigo continues to fight on regardless. This briefly causes him to lose his cool, actually shouting at him that it is pointless. He then transforms into his Segunda Resurreccion form in an attempt to show him "true despair". Ulquiorra is also highly perceptive, cunning, and analytical; during his and Yammy's first visit to the human world, he makes several suprisingly accurate remarks on the humans who confronted them. He theorizes that Orihime Inoue's healing power is a temporal-spatial ability, which Aizen later describes as the rejection of fate, and comments on how Ichigo Kurosaki's Bankai can easily cut through Yammy's defenses. He also notes Ichigo's power fluctuation, which varies between very weak and stronger than his own. Ulquiorra seems to be demanding as well, such as when he came to Orihime's chamber and ordered her to eat a meal a servant Arrancar brought in, claiming it was her "duty" to stay alive for Aizen's benefit. When Orihime hesitated, he threatened to force the food down her throat, or strap her to a table and feed her via an IV. This also implies that, while he prefers not to dirty his hands, Ulquiorra is fully capable of committing truly abhorrent and inhumane actions without feeling any remorse or hesitation. After Ichigo's hollow form overwhelms and strikes him down during his last battle, Ulquiorra still maintains his cool and calmly berates himself for being defeated by a human turned hollow. He then demands that Ichigo kill him since being beaten means he no longer has a purpose in life. This is a marked departure from most of his Arrancar fellows who mostly died cursing their enemies or with an abject fear of death. Synopsis Arrancar arc Ulquiorra first appears alongside Yammy when they arrive in Karakura Town to gain information on Ichigo Kurosaki. Ulquiorra retreats with Yammy once he finishes examining Ichigo's abilities, also taking note of Orihime Inoue's fate-manipulation powers. A month later, Ulquiorra sends a second group of Arrancar (not counting Grimmjow's rogue actions) to Karakura Town consisting of several Espada meant to distract the Shinigami while he captures Orihime. By threatening her friends' lives, he convinces her to come peacefully, allowing her to say goodbye to one person beforehand. Hueco Mundo arc Upon returning to Las Noches, Ulquiorra claims that he has trapped Orihime in a psychological prison from which her loyalty to Aizen is guaranteed, though this proves to be false when Orihime resolves to ruin Aizen's plans. Ulquiorra reappears to fight Ichigo, which ends in a sound victory for Ulquiorra. He leaves Ichigo alive but badly injured, suggesting to him that he should retreat if able. After discovering that Grimmjow has taken Orihime, Ulquiorra tracks them down and engages in a short battle with Grimmjow, ending with Grimmjow using a portable Negación field to temporarily trap Ulquiorra. He then escapes and is left in charge of Las Noches and awaited the arrival of Ichigo Kurosaki. While waiting, he questions Orihime if she feels any fear in knowing that she will die alone. She boldly answers no, and states she has confidence in her friends and Ichigo, and that she is not fearful because her heart is with them. Ulquiorra, unable to understand how she can harbor such feelings, presses her further. He asks her what a heart is, and reaches out to touch the area above her heart, asking where he can find it. But just as he is about to further interrogate her, Ichigo breaks in and is ready to battle. Ulquiorra then unsheathes his sword to eradicate Ichigo in order to protect Las Noches. Fake Karakura Town arc As their battle continues Ulquiorra shoots his Cero at Ichigo, although he manages to withstand it. Ulquiorra then notes that Ichigo has gotten stronger, and asks him if it is because he has defeated Grimmjow, because he is trying to save Orihime, or because his friends are fighting down below them. Ulquiorra states that it doesn't matter either way because Orihime is already one of "us" and nothing can change that. Ichigo replies that isn't up for Ulquiorra to decide. After saying that, Ulquiorra finishes with saying that was Aizen's decision. As the two continued to fight, Ichigo gained the ability to to read Ulquiorra's movements, stating that either he was becoming more human in Ichigo's eyes or he himself (Ichigo) was becoming more Hollow. In response, Ulquiorra stepped up his tactics but he was stopped by Orihime's shield. He then questions her why she did not protect Ichigo when he started fighting him to begin with. Then he is able to get the hang of Ichigo's Bankai as they continue fighting. When Ichigo was about to attack Loly and Menoly who have grabbed Orihime while she stood back from the fight and threaten to pluck out her left eye if he advances on them Ulquiorra intercepts Ichigo and misdirects his Getsuga Tenshō. However, he tells Loly not to get the wrong idea about his actions and that he isn't helping her. He then continues blocking Ichigo's way to Orihime while monitoring the situation behind him and tells Ichigo that he will have to kill him in order to fight anyone else. Then he notices Yammy coming through the doors that Loly and Menoly entered from. During the lull in the fighting his entrance creates Yammy states that he's there to help him to which Ulquiorra replies he didn't ask for his help though he notices Yammy has recovered fully. Ulquiorra tells him his job elsewhere then suggests he should go back to sleep or fight the other Captains that are nearby but Yammy refuses. When questioned by Yammy about why the females are there Ulquiorra simply tells him to ask them, turning around to engage Ichigo once more and block his path to Orihime. When Yammy defeats Menoly and Loly, he asks Ulquiorra if he is allowed to kill Orihime next, but Uryū Ishida arrives and uses a special landmine to critically injure him. After Yammy falls to the bottom of Las Noches, Ichigo finally dons his Hollow mask and he proves to be completely resistant to Ulquiorra's attacks, even managing to begin cracking his blade. Ulquiorra heads to the top of the dome of Las Noches and Ichigo follows him. As Ichigo notices their location, Ulquiorra explains to him that there are two things forbidden within Las Noches: the first is the Espada's Gran Rey Cero, and the second is any of the top four Espada releasing their Zanpakutō, as either has the potential power to destroy Las Noches. He then proceeds to release his own Zanpakutō with the command "Bind", followed by "Murciélago". After going into his released state, Ulquiorra warns Ichigo to stay focused and alert before using Sonído and attacking him with a spiked weapon. Ichigo defends himself with a Getsuga Tenshō reflexively, yet the upper-right portion of his mask is destroyed. Ulquiorra notices the reflex and says that if Ichigo had not done so, then his head would be lying at his feet. In his released form, Ulquiorra can easily keep up with Ichigo and goads him into using his Getsuga Tenshō. Angered, Ichigo releases the attack, but Ulquiorra is completely unharmed. The Cuarta Espada mentions that Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshō is similar to the his Cero. When Ichigo disagrees, Ulquiorra notes that he hasn't yet seen it, and demonstrates the Espada's fully powered Cero Oscuras. The Black Cero critically injures Ichigo and completely destroys his mask. Ulquiorra tries to force Ichigo to give up, believing he's successfully proven himself to be vastly stronger. When Ichigo tries to use Getsuga in defiance, Ulquiorra loses his calm and slices him with his spiked weapon. Ichigo declares he always knew Ulquiorra was strong, but will still defeat him regardless. Hearing this, Ulquiorra decides to show Ichigo true despair by transforming into his second release form. Ulquiorra explains to the stunned Ichigo that only he among the Espada has a second release form which even Aizen hasn't witnessed. Ichigo still attempts to fight showing no fear, and tries to defend himself from attacks but is overwhelmed by Ulquiorra's speed. Ulquiorra expresses his inability to understand Ichigo's resolve, believing it is a human's "heart", which causes them pain and will result in their deaths. When Ichigo explains he has no choice but to win the fight, Ulquiorra calls him a fool. Orihime arrives to the top of the dome just in time to see Ulquiorra send a Black Cero through Ichigo's chest. After dropping Ichigo's limp body, Orihime attempts to heal him, but Ulquiorra blocks her path, stating that her powers are not enough to bring Ichigo back to life. Uryu fires an arrow at him, but Ulquiorra easily deflects it with his wing. Even a volley of arrows proves ineffective, and Ulquiorra expresses he believed Uryu to be the most calm of Ichigo's friends. Uryu states that he is calm, which is why he is able to fight him. As Orihime's attempt to heal Ichigo fails, Ulquiorra manages to sever Uryu's left hand. Despite this, Uryu tries to fight the Espada, but is quickly defeated. Orhime, not knowing what to do, begins to panic and screams for Ichigo to help. Ichigo's arm begins to move and his hair begins to grow longer. Ichigo stands, appearing entirely different wearing a new Hollow mask with long horns. Shocked at his enemy's unexpected revival, Ulquiorra demands to know who he is. Ichigo grabs his sword and answers with a roar. Believing words are useless, Ulquiorra fires a Cero Oscuras. To his surprise, Ichigo fires a Cero powerful enough to counter it. Ulquiorra refuses to believe a human could release a Cero, especially one capable of blowing away his own. Ichigo appears behind him and cuts off his left arm effortlessly. Ulquiorra quickly regenerates the arm, and states he is the only Arrancar capable of instantly regenerating any non-vital body part, as all others would rather have greater strength. He resorts to use "Lanza del Relampago", a powerful spear made of energy. Ulquiorra tells Ichigo to stay right where he is, because he doesn't want to risk using it at close range. The attack misses, creating a massive explosion in the desert and causing Ulquiorra to state to himself it is a difficult technique to control. Once a second spear is prepared, Ichigo appears right beside him, startling Ulquiorra because he used the Hollow-equivalent to Shunpo, Sonido. Ichigo throws the detached arm at him, but Ulquiorra slashes it away and thrusts the spear. Ichigo catches it with a single hand and breaks it. Ulquiorra is left dumbfounded, allowing Ichigo to slice him down the torso and slam him to the ground. Ulquiorra states he can't believe he was defeated by a human turned Hollow. Ichigo steps on Ulquiorra's head and begins charging a Cero. Ulquiorra comments on how Ichigo shows no mercy, something very Hollow-like, but because Ichigo has beaten him he has no reason to live. Ichigo releases the Cero, creating a vast and powerful explosion on the dome of Las Noches. Powers & Abilities Ulquiorra is the Cuarta Espada in Aizen's army, meaning his abilities are fourth amongst all of the Arrancar and Hollow under Aizen's command. His might is great enough that even in his sealed form he can fight on even grounds with a full strength Ichigo while in Bankai form and withstand most of the impact from a black Getsuga Tenshō. In the most recent chapter it was revealed that Ulquiorra has a second state after his Resurrección, called Segunda Etapa, that supposedly even Aizen himself is unaware of. This could possibly make him equal to or even greater than the top three Espada in strength. Expert Swordsmanship Specialist: He appears to be very efficient in swordsmanship, being able to fight on-par with Ichigo and even slice through his Getsuga Tenshō. Ulquiorra prefers to wield his sword with his right hand, leaving the other hand free though it usually remains in his pocket. He is quite adept at blocking while his offense is capable of great precision. He was able to fend off Ichigo using his Hollow mask-enhanced Bankai long enough to reach the top of Las Noches, though his Zanpakutō was nearly broken. Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Though he hasn't shown the extent of his abilities in this field as of yet, Ulquiorra has shown to rely mostly on hand-to-hand combat, rarely drawing his sword at all. Ichigo speculates that he only draws his sword against opponents he considers "worthy". Ulquiorra also seems to prefer applying an 'off-the-ground' method of combat, often being seen attacking opponents from aerial standpoints, such as when he attempted to use his Cero on an offending Grimmjow by attacking him from the air above his head, or when he jumped upwards with a Sonído in an attempt to catch Ichigo off guard during their most recent confrontation. Sonído Expert: One of Ulquiorra's more noticeable traits is his tremendously skillful speed. He has demonstrated the ability to catch up with Ichigo after kicking him from a tower in a few moments.Bleach manga Chapter 271 He has also shown the ability to skillfully keep up with Ichigo's Bankai speed. In addition, his superior experience allows him to push Ichigo's reflexes to the limit. Keen Intellect: In addition to his remarkable combat prowess, Ulquiorra is also gifted with great insight and understanding to situations at hand. His intelligence is such that even Aizen, a man arguably best-known for his intellect, has respect for as he sent Ulquiorra to investigate Ichigo's power and threat level. With his calm and collected nature, Ulquiorra has can be highly perceptive and analytical, allowing him to easily deduce the basic idea of his opponent's skills to figure out its strengths and weakness. Cero: Ulquiorra has been shown using Cero from his fingers with very destructive power. His Cero is a green color instead of red, which is more common among Arrancar and Hollows. Bala: The technique hardens the user's spiritual pressure and fires it like a bullet from their fist. Ulquiorra has a red Bala, as seen in the kidnapping of Orihime. Hierro (鋼皮（イエロ）, Hiero; (Spanish for "iron"): refers to the hardened skin of the Arrancar, which is a result of their compressed spiritual power. He can deflect attacks of similar power barehanded. He is able to fight Ichigo in his Hollow form without unsheathing his sword, rendering Ichigo defenseless with two attacks and not sustaining injuries of any kind. He could also take a direct slash from Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu with only a minor cut on his chest and in his released the attack seems to have no effect on him. Enhanced Strength: Ulquiorra has proven to be deceptively mighty for his build. He has shown the ability to physically discipline Yammy, an Espada known primarily for his strength, with no visible effort. He has also shown the ability to kick Ichigo a tremendous distance with one kick.Bleach manga Chapter 271 Garganta (黒腔（ガルガンタ）, Garuganta; Spanish for "throat"): Garganta is how Arrancar move to and from Hueco Mundo. Ulquiorra has the ability to use the technique. It literally tears open the dimensional fabric separating the worlds, revealing a tunnel of whirling, torrential energy that must be focused and solidified to create a discernible pathway. In the video games, Ulquiorra uses this technique to generate make-shift vortices to draw opponents in, as well as teleport from place to place. *'Garganta Broadcast': Ulquiorra has been shown able to create a visual broadcast , similar to a television screen, using individual Garganta portals. He does this in order to show the current predicament of Orihime's friends (Ichigo, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto) fighting their respective battles, stating he could kill them if she says anything other than "yes".Bleach Chapter 234, page 8 It is unknown if he could create as many as desired, or if three broadcasts are his limit. Instant Replay: Ulquiorra has the unusual ability to replay events he has seen to others by removing and crushing an eye, which then turns into dust and flows around those Ulquiorra intends to use it on. The dust shows images of what Ulquiorra has seen during his missions. High-Speed Regeneration: Perhaps Ulquiorra's greatest strength is his regenerative power. It is first witnessed after he removed and crushed one of his eyes, then he is seen with two eyes again in his next appearance, and Yammy comments on it to that effect. This is displayed once more in his battle against Ichigo's evolved Hollow form where he regenerates the arm that was torn off. Ulquiorra states that it is his greatest power, one which most Arrancar give up in return for greater strength. He explains that he can quickly regenerate any part of his body except for his brain or internal organs. Vast Spiritual Power: His spiritual power is immensely high, comparing his own spiritual power to the likes of Ichigo. As one of the top four Espada, he is forbidden to release his Zanpakutō within Las Noches. That is because they are too powerful and such a release would cause great damage to the fortress. During his first meeting with Ichigo he comments that the Shinigami's energy fluctuates from being "trash," to stronger than his own. Zanpakutō . The handle is green and the guard has two curved extensions from its shorter sides, giving it an eye-like appearance. There also appears to be reason for this shape, as Ulquiorra places one of his fingers through a hole in the guard to fire his Cero. *'Resurrección:' - Its release command is .Bleach Manga Chapter 344 Murciélago unleashes with a burst of spiritual energy that falls around Ulquiorra as black rain. In his released state, Ulquiorra becomes bat-like in appearance. He gains giant wings on his back, his hair becomes longer and wilder on the left side of his head, and the remains of his Hollow mask centers atop his head, with two large horns extending outward to the sides towards the front. The lines on his face become broader and more triangular and his fingernails lengthen. His Arrancar attire becomes more form fitting and closed at the top, becoming more like a robe towards the bottom. In this form, he uses a spear instead of a sword. :Resurrección Special Ability: He is shown to have the ability to create elongated spike-like spears. His speed and endurance is greatly enhanced to the point that Ichigo's hollow mask-enhanced Bankai has difficulty keeping up, let alone damaging him. His Hierro has also vastly increased in strength to the point where a Getsuga Tenshō with Ichigo's mask activated has no effect at all. Ulquiorra also has the unique ability to enter a second released form, called Resurrección Segunda Etapa. :* : It is a black Cero, which Ulquiorra states to be similar to Ichigo's black Getsuga Tenshō. Like many other Espada related techniques, this technique can only be used by Espadas in their released states. Ulquiorra's Cero Oscuras is powerful enough to blast Ichigo's mask away and destroy a large part of the city-sized Las Noches' dome. Since there is no rule that forbids an Espada to use Cero Oscuras in Las Noches, the Gran Rey Cero may be stronger than it, since it has a restriction. Yet while Ichigo was in his Hollowification state he countered Grimmjow's Gran Rey Cero, the technique may differ in power between the Espada. It is also possible that it is only usable in the Espada's released state, meaning it is only forbidden to be used by Espada above Cuarta (3, 2, and 1). This however, would not include the Espada lower than the top four Espada from simultaneously releasing their Zanpakutō and performing Cero Oscuras. Ulquiorra also refers to it as "my Cero,"Bleach Manga Chapter 346 Page 17 so it may be exclusive to him. It is also possible that the Cero Oscuras is just a vastly powerful version of the Cero. Since the color of the Cero changes depending on who uses it, the "Oscuras" in its name may simply refer to the fact that his version is black. * Ulquiorra boasts that among the Espada, only he possesses a second release form which even Aizen hasn't seen. However, this may just be an assumption, for the three higher-level Espada might be capable of similar transformations. Ulquiorra refers to his second state as "True Despair," both before and after its release, likely because its immense power instills despair upon the opponent. Segunda Etapa can be presumed as the Arrancar equivalent of a Shinigami's Bankai. While he retains his black wings, his long white coat is gone, revealing his chest where blood-like liquid seemingly drips from his Hollow hole, which becomes larger. His waist is covered in something similar to black fur, his arms turn completely black, from the mid-biceps to the finger tips, and his fingers grow claw-like extensions; his feet become like talons, his sclera turns black (very much like a Vizard's sclera in Hollow form) and the thin "crying" marks under his eyes are displaced towards the outside of his cheeks by similar triangular lines that taper off towards his chin. Ulquiorra's mask remains turn into horns, and the #4 Espada tattoo is no longer visible on his chest. He grows a very long and thin but powerful tail which is capable of being used as a weapon or to lift and strangle a victim. :*'Overwhelming Spiritual Power': Ulquiorra is known to have vast spiritual power, and it increases quite a lot after releasing Murciélago, but it's not until his Second Stage that his power becomes unbelievably great. Uryū Ishida, a Quincy who is an expert at sensing reiatsu, noted that the density of Ulquiorra's spiritual power was so vast that it could hardly be identified as reiatsu. "It's like no spiritual energy I've ever felt before...It's not just bigger or stronger. It's too dense and heavy to even be called spiritual energy. It feels like there's an ocean above the sky..."